A walking platform for drilling equipment with means for oscillating the drill tube

ABSTRACT

A walking platform for drilling equipment provided with a swivel arrangement adapted to adjustably hold a drill tube whereby the drill tube can be oscillated during a drilling operation. The platform has support feet linked by a crossbeam guide carrying a slidable crossbeam. The crossbeam is linked to each of two longitudinally displaceable walking feet by a piston cylinder arrangement for lifting the same. A drive means (mounted in gimballike manner) couples the crossbeam to each walking foot to displace (reciprocate) the same. The swivel arrangement is articulately connected to the forward end of each walking foot, and has an adjustable aperture provided with a tensioning cylinder gripping the drill tube. Each walking foot comprises a trough-shaped member carrying a rail along which a linkage to each piston cylinder arrangement is displaceably connected through a stirrup and rollers.

United States Patent 623,064 4/1899 Baeretal Inventor Otto Reimann 7 l8 Kaiserstnsse, 29 Oldenburg, Germany Appl. No. 832,194 Filed June 1 l, 1969 Patented July 27 1971 Priority June 11, 1968 Germany A WALKING PLATFORM FOR DRILLING EQUIPMENT wI'rII MEANS non OSCILLATING THEDRILL'I'UBE 7Claims,4DrawingFigs.

us. (:1 173/122, 173/163, 175/171, 299/31 Int. (:1 E211) 3/02 Field olSearch 173/22, 23, 163; 175/170, 171; 299/31, 32

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Primary Examiner-Ernest R. Purser Au0rneyNolte and Nolte ABSTRACT: A walking platform for drilling equipment provided with a swivel arrangement adapted to adjustably hold a drill tube whereby the drill tube can be oscillated during a drilling operation. The platform has support feet linked by a crossbeam guide carrying a slidable Cl'OSSbflaHL The crossbeam is linked to each of two longitudinally displaceable walking feet by a piston cylinder arrangement for lifting the same. A drive means (mounted in gimballike manner) couples the crosbeam to each walking foot to displace (reciprocate) the same. The swivel arrangement is articulately connected to the forward end of each walking foot, and has an adjustable aperture provided with a tensioning cylinder gripping the drill tube. Each walking foot comprises a trough-shaped member carrying a rail along which a linkage to each piston cylinder arrangement is displaceably connected through a stirrup and rollers.

PATENTED JUL27 l9?! SHEET m 3 3 595, 322

FIG. 2. 2

ATTORNEYS PATENTEU m2 1 ISYI SHEET 3 0F 3 INVENTOR OTTO REIMANN ATTO NEYS A WALKING PLATFORM FOR DRILLING EQUIPMENT WITH MEANS FOR OSCILLATING TI-IE DRILL TUBE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION When drilling holes in soil, it is a frequent requirement to line these holes with tubes or pipes to prevent soil from the walls of the hole falling into the already drilled hole. The insertion of the tubes into drill holes, particularly while the drilling process is still progressing, has necessitated complicated and correspondingly expensive equipment for providing the neces' sary simultaneous vertical and rotational movements of the soil drill and the lining tube or pipe. By means of an accessory device according to the present invention, an apparatus for walking soil working machines as disclosed in our copending application Ser. No. 657,482 now abandoned may readily be adapted for soil drilling with considerable savings in operating time and capital costs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to an accessory device, which may be used in combination with apparatus for walking soil working machines to convert such a walking apparatus readily to a soil drilling equipment with a facility for lining the drilled holes with suitable tubes or piping. The basic apparatus for walking comprises a support frame surrnounting two or more support feet and further comprising at least two liftable walking feet which are displaceable longitudinally of the support frame in such a manner that the apparatus rests on the support feet when the walking feet are raised, and that the apparatus is supported by the walking feet with the support feet lifted off the ground when the walking feet are extended in a downwardly direction. The apparatus may be put into motion by causing the walking feet, when extended, to be displaced longitudinally relative to the support frame of the apparatus.

According to the invention, a facility for drilling holes in soil is mounted atthe forward end of the apparatus and the forward ends of the walking feet carry horizontally swivellable tube holding means.

One feature of the tube holding means of the invention is in the provision of a first and a second arm, each arm being provided with a concavely curved tube gripping portion and being carried by a respective one of the walking feet. A hydraulic cylinder is connected between the two arms to provide means for varying the distance between the gripping portions, so that tubes may selectably be engaged by the cooperating tube gripping portions.

A further refinement of the invention lies in the provision of further hydraulic cylinder means so coupled between each one of the two walking feet and the support frame, that each of the walking feet may be moved independently of the respective other one of the walking feet. By operating the further hydraulic cylinder means of each of the two walking feet in mutually opposite directions relative to the lengthwise axis of the support frame, a swiveling motion of the tube holding means may readily be obtained. The lining tube, which is thus subjected to an oscillatory motion, may simultaneously be urged into the soil by lowering both walking feet in unison.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a walking soil drilling apparatus provided with a tube holding means in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the walking apparatus with a tubing device according to FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken along the line Ill-III in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the walking apparatus in accordance with FIGS. 1 and 2, showing the tubing device in the operative position and the walking feet raised.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a soil drilling equipment having a support frame rearwardly supported by support stays 2. The support stays are secured to the drilling equipmentvsupport frame, which has two support feet 3 extending parallel to each other in the longitudinal direction on the underside of the soil drilling equipment. The support feet are connected together by (inter alia) two hollow box-shaped crossbeam guides 6 mounted transversely of the support feet. A box-shaped crossbeam 7a and 7b is slidably mounted in each crossbeam guide and carries'a vertical lifting cylinder 8 on each of its laterally projecting ends. Piston rods 10 pr0jcct ing downwardly from the lifting cylinders are connected by rollers to two mutually parallel walking feet 4, which are located outwardly adjacent the support feet 3. A longitudinally extending rail 12 is secured in each of the troughshaped walking feet 4. The piston rods 10 of the lifting cylin ders 8 are coupled to the rail by roller guides and are horizontally displaceable as well as rotatable about the axes of the lifting cylinders. Each roller guide has a U-shaped stirrup 11 open at the bottom and secured to the piston rod, as well as a roller 13 mounted within the stirrup and running on the rail. The flanges of the stirrup Ill carry inwardly acting locating rollers M embracing both sides of the rail profile.

A shifting cylinder 16, which is preferably hydraulically operated, is articulated to each of the projecting ends of the rear crossbeam 7 above the rail 12 and its piston rod 17 is articulated to a linkage 18 secured to the rail between the two crossbeams 7. The shifting cylinders are mounted in a gimballike manner within U-shaped articulated mountings on the crossbeam 7b, so that they are capable of swiveling in both a vertical and a horizontal plane. The linkages 18 are displaceable on the rails 12 in such a manner that the walking feet may be displaced forwardly or backwardly relative to the support feet.

The lifting cylinders 8 and the shifting cylinders 16 and 20 are preferably constructed as hydraulic cylinders. In the normal operating position of the soil drilling equipment, the walking apparatus stands on the two support feet 3 and the walking feet 4 may be lowered, if desired, to provide additional lateral support. When the apparatus is to be moved forward, the walking feet are initially raised by the lifting cylinder, then extended forwardly relative to the support frame in a horizontal plane by the shifting cylinders 16, and then lowered to the ground again by the lifting cylinders. By then once more driving out the piston rods of the lifting cylinders, the apparatus is raised from the ground together with the support feet and then shifted forwardly on the rails 12 of the walking feet by operation of the shifting cylinders 16, after which it is once again lowered to the ground. Lateral motion may be provided by operation of the shifting cylinders 20 to displace the cross beams 7a and 7b of the initially raised walking feet 20, which are lowered to the ground after the lateral movement. The apparatus is thereupon raised by driving out the piston rods 10, and, while the apparatus is thus suspended on the crossbeams at this stage, it is laterally displaced on the crossbeams and lowered to the ground on the support feet.

A drilling device is indicated in broken lines in FIG. 1 and is mounted on a guide mast l, which is arranged forwardly of the walking apparatus. The tubing device arranged on the walking apparatus comprises a swiveling arrangement 22, which is to be attached between the walking feet 4 at their forward ends. The swiveling arrangement 22 provides means for the tube or piping to be sunk into the drill hole to be oscillated to and fro about a vertical axis during the drilling operation. The forward ends of the walking feet are provided with mutually opposite swivel bearings 24, between which swivel arms 25 are pivotably mounted in a horizontal plane. The pivot anns 25 are each provided with concavely curved tube gripping portions which are adapted to engage with a tubing 23 either directly or by means of an interposed tension ring 26, which has a variable aperture for engaging with the tube 23 and is coupled to a tensioning cylinder 27. The tension cylinder 27 links the swivel anns at mutually opposite first ends of their arcuate portions, while the second ends of the arcuate portions are coupled by a hinge connection 28, about which the second ends may pivot. By means of the tension cylinder 27, the aperture of the ring 26 may be varied for selectably bringing the gripping portions into cooperative engaging relationship with the tube.

The described arrangement operates in the following manner: The walking feet 4 are first lifted, so that the walking apparatus is supported on the soil by the support feet 3. After operation of the tensioning cylinder 27, a tube 23 may be inserted between the swivel arms 25 and the drilling device may then be set into operation to lower itself progressively in known manner, so that the soil drill penetrates into soil through the tube 23. The simultaneous lowering of the drill tube 23 into soil, is effected by mutually opposite longitudinal motion of the walking feet 4 under the action of the shifting cylinders 16, thus causing the pivot arms 25 to oscillate to and fro in a horizontal plane and to transmit these alternating oscillatory movements to the drill tube 23. Simultaneously with this motion, the walking feet 4 are urged downwardly by operation of the lifting cylinders 8, so that the drill tube 23 is also pushed downwardly. At the end of one lowering phase of the drill tube 23, the pivot arms 25 are released by operation of the tensioning cylinder 27 and lifted by raising of the walking feet 4 on operation of the lifting cylinders 8 and then again clamped on to the drill tube 23. The extraction of the drill tube 23 is effected in corresponding manner in reverse direction by corresponding operation of the lifting cylinders 8.

The degree of the advance of the walking feet 4 relative to the support feet 3 may be adapted to tubing arrangements of diverse size by appropriately setting the linkage 18 of the piston rods 17 on the rails 12.

lclaim:

l. A walking platform for drilling equipment comprising a pair of support feet arranged in spaced relation and aligned parallel to the longitudinal direction of the platform, at least one crossbeam guide member arranged transversely between and connected at its opposite ends to a respective one of the support feet, a crossbeam member carried by and slidably guided in said crossbeam guide member, a piston-cylinder arrangement at either end of the crossbeam member, a pair of walking feet each coupled by an associated one of said pistoncylinder arrangements for lifting the same and each reciprocately displaceable in said longitudinal direction of the platform, drive means associated with each of said walking feet to effect said displacement, a swivel arrangement articulately connected to each of said walking feet at the forward ends thereof, and drill tube holding means carried by said swivel arrangement and adapted to carry a drill tube of drilling equipment, whereby the drill tube can be oscillated about a vertical axis during a drilling operation.

2. A walking platform as defined in claim 1, wherein said swivel arrangement and drill tube holding means comprise a pair of linked pivot arms each pivoted at one end to the forward end of a respective one of the walking feet and each comprising at its respective other end a concavely curved tube gripping portion, said tube gripping portions having a tension ring of variable aperture interposed therebetween adapted to engage the tube.

3. A walking platform as defined in claim 2, further comprising a tcnsioning cylinder associated with the tension ring which links first ends of concavely curved gripping portions of said pivot arms, and wherein the pivot arms are hinged at the respective other ends of their gripping portions.

4. A walking platform as defined in claim 1, wherein each of the drive means comprise shifting cylinders each mounted in gimballike manner within U-shaped articulated mountings on the crossbeam.

5. A walking platform as defined in claim 4, wherein each of said drive means are coupled to its walking foot through linkages which are displaceable along that walking foot whereby t e walking feet may be displaced forwardly or backwardly relative to the support feet.

6. A walking platform as defined in claim 1, wherein each of the walking feet comprises a trough-shaped member carrying a longitudinally extending rail and wherein the piston rods of the piston-cylinder arrangements are coupled to its longitudinally extending rail or by roller guides carrying a roller.

7. A walking platform as defined in claim 6, wherein each roller guide comprises a U-shaped stirrup secured to the piston rod and open at the bottom with a roller mounted within the stirrup for running on said rail, and wherein flanges of the stirrup carry inwardly directed locating rollers embracing both sides of the rail profile. 

1. A walking platform for drilling equipment comprising a pair of support feet arranged in spaced relation and aligned parallel to the longitudinal direction of the platform, at least one crossbeam guide member arranged transversely between and connected at its opposite ends to a respective one of the support feet, a crossbeam member carried by and slidably guided in said crossbeam guide member, a piston-cylinder arrangement at either end of the crossbeam member, a pair of walking feet each coupled by an associated one of said piston-cylinder arrangements for lifting the same and eAch reciprocately displaceable in said longitudinal direction of the platform, drive means associated with each of said walking feet to effect said displacement, a swivel arrangement articulately connected to each of said walking feet at the forward ends thereof, and drill tube holding means carried by said swivel arrangement and adapted to carry a drill tube of drilling equipment, whereby the drill tube can be oscillated about a vertical axis during a drilling operation.
 2. A walking platform as defined in claim 1, wherein said swivel arrangement and drill tube holding means comprise a pair of linked pivot arms each pivoted at one end to the forward end of a respective one of the walking feet and each comprising at its respective other end a concavely curved tube gripping portion, said tube gripping portions having a tension ring of variable aperture interposed therebetween adapted to engage the tube.
 3. A walking platform as defined in claim 2, further comprising a tensioning cylinder associated with the tension ring which links first ends of concavely curved gripping portions of said pivot arms, and wherein the pivot arms are hinged at the respective other ends of their gripping portions.
 4. A walking platform as defined in claim 1, wherein each of the drive means comprise shifting cylinders each mounted in gimballike manner within U-shaped articulated mountings on the crossbeam.
 5. A walking platform as defined in claim 4, wherein each of said drive means are coupled to its walking foot through linkages which are displaceable along that walking foot whereby the walking feet may be displaced forwardly or backwardly relative to the support feet.
 6. A walking platform as defined in claim 1, wherein each of the walking feet comprises a trough-shaped member carrying a longitudinally extending rail and wherein the piston rods of the piston-cylinder arrangements are coupled to its longitudinally extending rail or by roller guides carrying a roller.
 7. A walking platform as defined in claim 6, wherein each roller guide comprises a U-shaped stirrup secured to the piston rod and open at the bottom with a roller mounted within the stirrup for running on said rail, and wherein flanges of the stirrup carry inwardly directed locating rollers embracing both sides of the rail profile. 